Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Translations:
Shimatta: Oh crap/my bad
Uchiha Sasuke was beginning to love waking up in the morning. He used to hate it. It meant having to start another depressing, dreary day. Waking up alone without a family kind of did that to you after a while. So now that he had a certain pink haired kunoichi in his bed, he was finding the start of his days to be almost chipper.
Sasuke smirked against his pillow, his arms wrapped tightly around Sakura.
Chipper. A word he would never use out loud.
The Uchiha pressed his lips to the back of her neck, eyes still closed. He let his tongue slide up her spine to gently wake her up. He heard her softly moan and he steadily made his way around her cheek to her lips. Those delectable lips of hers were just something he couldn't help but kiss. He had to admit, ever since Naruto and he accidentally kissed back in their school days, Sasuke had a bit of a complex with kissing. He supposed that might have contributed to his lack of ability in making the first move for so long.
But now he was confident. Now he could kiss her mouth to his heart's content. He felt her slide her tongue against his and he allowed her to. He raised an eyebrow. Well, she was being rather daring early in the morning. Sasuke maneuvered himself over her, letting his hands trail down her rather firm stomach and coming to a halt right above her hips.
Sasuke smirked against her mouth. He pressed down at her hips relishing the soft skin there. He heard her intake a quick breath. He let his fingers pull at her thick waist band before he slowly lowered his hand down her pants.
"Ah...Hinata..."
Sasuke's eyes, tomoe spinning wildly, shot wide open to meet Naruto's equally large eyes. They stared at each other.
"CHIDORI!"
In under thirty seconds, Sasuke was in the bathroom alternating between brushing his teeth as hard as he could and scrubbing his hands until they bled. A fried Naruto stood by the door, trying to explain himself.
"Sasuke-teme," Naruto started, the tips of his hair still burning, "I-It's just that Hinata's away on a mission, and you know how lonely I get when she's away. So I checked to make sure Sakura wasn't in bed with you before I snuck in and—" Naruto stared at Sasuke's lips. "S-Sasuke-teme..."
The pissed off Uchiha sent a deadly glare the Hokage's way.
"Y-Your mouth is bleeding..."
Sasuke spat in the sink, but kept his gaze on his stupid best friend. "Good."
Naruto sweat dropped. He did think that their make out session was nasty and he did feel bad that neither of them realized who they were kissing until Sasuke reached for his penis, but Sasuke really couldn't blame him. First of all, Sasuke had woken him up just like Hinata did when it was time for him to get ready for the day. And second of all, Naruto hadn't opened his eyes to look at Sasuke until the very end.
He shuddered. What he couldn't wrap his head around was that he actually got hard for Sasuke. He glanced down at his pants that were now limp. His dick would have issues getting up for the next few days. Which, he supposed, was a good thing since Hinata was away on mission.
"Ugh," Sasuke said disgustedly, using up every last bit of soap he could until the sink filled up with bubbles. "If Itachi slaughtering my clan wasn't enough to give me nightmares, I think this was..."
Naruto stared at Sasuke. Did he just crack a joke?
"Pfft," Naruto chuckled, holding his stomach. "I think Sakura's rubbing off on you." He watched as the suds poured over the edge of the counter. "Hey, you should be honored. You just touched the Hokage's dick."
Sasuke felt the sudden urge to vomit. He scrubbed harder.
"When did you get here?" Sasuke asked in irritation. "What time?"
"Eh?" Naruto asked, "About six...why?"
Sasuke looked to the clock above his mirror. It was now eight o'clock. He grimaced. That meant he had been cuddling with the dobe for nearly two hours. It also meant that Sakura had been gone since before then. He turned off the faucet and wiped his chapped hands. There was only one reason she would leave so early: there was an emergency at the hospital that needed her immediate attention.
Sasuke sighed and frowned. He walked past Naruto and made his way down the hall. The dobe's footsteps pattered off rhythm with his own. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto didn't have to ask, but Sasuke was used to it already. Every time Naruto snuck in his bed, the two would bicker, Sasuke would beat the blonde up, and then proceed to make the both of them breakfast. Call it brotherly love, if you will.
He reached inside of his fridge while the baka sat at his table, impatiently folding his arms and waiting for his omelet to be made. Sasuke broke out the pan and flicked on the gas stove. He turned to look at Naruto.
"Hinata's on a mission," Sasuke said slowly, recalling Naruto's explanation.
"Hai," Naruto said, his stomach growling in complaint. "To get Sakura-chan's medical supplies back." He winked. "They left late last night so I got in a good love-making session from Hinata before they went."
Sasuke tried to squelch the image of his best friend and the Hyūga getting it on. He leaned forward, wanting to heave. He was thankful he hadn't eaten anything since his and Sakura's dinner the previous night.
"If you're lonely, sleep in one of the damn spare rooms, urasuratonkachi," Sasuke growled, letting the eggs fall into the now warm pan.
"You know, you always tell me that," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "But I never listen."
Sasuke sweat dropped. "Baka."
"Teme!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Despite the terror of their morning together, he had to hand it to Naruto. He knew how to make a house feel like a home.
"We kissed, Ino-pig!" Sakura gleefully said as blood squirted from her patient's stomach. "It was so special, I just can't even—" She held out her hand for another scalpel that wasn't so covered in blood. "—believe it, you know?"
"Sakura that's great!" Ino said nervously passing her the scalpel.
"I'm still gonna seduce him of course," Sakura said as she dug further into the pregnant woman. "It's not over until he says he loves me."
"It's not over 'til you have a ring on your finger," Ino added. She stopped for a moment. "Does this mean we get to go on double dates?"
Sakura and Ino stared at each other for a moment.
"No," they both said in unison before giggling.
The thought of Sai and Sasuke being forced to go on a double date was a terrible idea. Between Sai's comments about how incompetent Sasuke's penis was and Sasuke's silent treatment, the evening would bring about disaster. There was no way those two would get along even for the sake of their lovers.
"Hmm," Ino said, "Then how about a group date? That way it wouldn't be so awkward."
"I like that," Sakura replied. "Hinata and Naruto would be fun to have around." She tilted her head. "And I'm sure Temari's itching to get out of the Nara household."
"We haven't seen Tenten in a while," Ino added as the head medical ninja managed to pry a crying baby from all of the blood. "And Lee would probably love this idea."
"Congratulations," Sakura said, cheerfully, holding out the bloody child in front of the drugged up mother, "It's a boy!"
"Sh-Shimatta," Haruhi said, looking at the monitor nervously. "Her heart's giving out. She needs blood."
"I don't know if I can get Sasuke to come on a group date," Sakura said slowly, her smile fading as she handed the child away to Shizune to be cleaned up. "What if he's not serious about us?" She started pumping chakra into the woman's heart. "What if he's just playing me?"
Sakura shook her head. Sasuke wasn't that kind of a man and she needed to have faith in him. She pressed her palms firmly against the woman's chest. She could feel her fading. She needed someone to close the wound...
"Ino," Sakura said. "Sew her shut and then heal it. We need her body to focus on surviving."
"Hai!" Ino replied, doing as her superior asked.
But Sakura's wound couldn't be sewn shut as easily as the woman's. She was still hurting from Sasuke's betrayal. Even though the nightmares had disappeared, she felt unsettled. Things were not resolved with Sasuke, and they needed to be. She still had things she needed to talk with him about. Things they needed to work through...
She frowned as she felt the woman's heart slow. It wasn't steady. It was wavering.
"Ino, hurry it up," Sakura reprimanded her friend. "We're losing her."
"Mou, I'm trying!" Ino complained, going as quickly as she could without tearing more skin.
"Oxygen," Sakura snapped at Haruhi. "Give her oxygen."
The clamp went over the woman's mouth and Sakura tried talking to the woman. "Ne, Hikari-san, you have a beautiful baby boy you need to see grow up." Sakura's voice came out in huffs as she used up as much chakra to heal the woman as she could. "Don't give out on me now, okay? Keep it up."
She heard the flick of the monitor. Hikari's heart was becoming stronger.
"Come on," Sakura growled, her muscles convulsing as she moved her body, "SHANNARO!"
B-Beep. B-Beep.
Sakura sighed as she felt the nurse Ayana swiped her sweaty forehead with a towel. Hikari was alive. And she would be fine.
Sakura shook her tired eyes and glanced up at Ino, who had finished up sewing the woman's stomach. "Let's go. Haruhi, Shizune...clean this up."
Ino raised her eyebrows, but followed Sakura to wash their hands clean of the blood and throw away their gloves. Ino glanced at Sakura's shaking hands. She always got like that after a close call. She took on anything that went wrong in the operation room and blamed herself if things didn't go well. They walked out side by side into the hallway. Sakura let out a deep exhale.
"Damn," she cursed once she knew they were alone in the empty hallway. She placed her hand to her forehead, "I thought I was gonna lose her."
"But you didn't," Ino said, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder.
"Such a close call," Sakura sighed, raising her head to the ceiling to blink back the tears.
"Hey, hey," Ino said, pulling her friend to her side. "Relax. Hikari-san is okay, the baby is healthy and we can come back later to check on her, okay? Everything's good now."
Sakura shook away her fears. She nodded slowly. "Okay. You're right."
"So how about we celebrate with some Ichiraku Ramen?" Ino said, shaking her friend a little to try and get her out of her rut.
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Ino, it's three in the afternoon. And I have a shit ton of paperwork to blow through."
"So?" Ino asked, "Come on. I'm sure Naruto will be there with Sasuke-kun."
Sakura swatted her away and opened her mouth to protest when she heard her stomach growl. She blushed. Sakura was hungry. She placed her hands over her stomach tenderly.
"Fine," Sakura agreed reluctantly, "But only 'cause I haven't eaten yet today."
The possibility of seeing Uchiha Sasuke had no affect on her decision.
Or the sudden skip in her step as she walked down the hall.
"Gaara this is ridiculous," Temari said, looking down at the sand surrounding her torso like a ring of saturn. "The baby is fine."
Gaara raised his eyebrows at her. That was his niece or nephew inside of her. He wasn't going to take any chances. Who knew what dangers lurked at the market place? He shifted the weight of the groceries in his hands, ignoring the onlookers whispering. So what if he was overprotective when he was with Temari? Nothing was going to happen to that child on his watch. He was going to make sure of it.
"Gaara," Temari growled as the shopkeeper stared in disbelief at the protective barrier. "Stop it."
Gaara narrowed his eyes. Temari placed her hands on her hips. The protective barrier that had once been rotating around her retreated back into the gourd on his back. He turned on his heel and started walking over to the onions. If she wanted to be like that, then fine.
Temari sighed and shook her head. She glared at Kankurō who had been behind her the entire time. He also had his guard up and was ready to whip out his puppets to protect her at any time. She rolled her eyes. As much as she loved the men in her life, they were starting to drive her crazy.
"Kankurō put the kunai away before you hurt yourself," Temari snapped and stomping away from her two brothers.
What was supposed to be a casual afternoon of shopping turned into a protection mission. Why, the moment one of the villagers who had heard that she was pregnant came up to touch her stomach, Gaara and Kankurō were in front of her in a flash. Needless to say, no one had bothered to try since.
She scowled. This was too stupid. Those two idiots were ruining her day. And if they weren't protective enough, Shikamaru wouldn't let her leave the house without having someone escort her at all times. It was getting to be too much. She needed to talk to Sakura and make her convince them that the baby would be fine without all of that excess crap.
Temari's eyes widened. Speak of the devil. Temari raised her arm up in the air and started running toward the pink haired medical ninja, when a swirl of sand surrounded her, lifting her gently in the air and pulling her back. She glared at her redheaded brother.
"What the hell Gaara?" Temari snarled.
"Don't strain yourself," he reprimanded her.
"I wanted to see Sakura," Temari growled, pointing at her friend as she walked into Ichiraku Ramen with Yamanaka Ino. "You might know her. She's the head medical ninja of Konoha, remember?"
Gaara stared off, watching the head medical ninja of Konoha as she slipped past the fabric flags and into the ramen shop. He swallowed.
"Ah," he said slowly, the sand walls around Temari fading.
She let out an indignant huff and stomped her foot in irritation. The sooner she could convince the medical ninja to get them off her back, the better. So she paraded off to the ramen shop with Gaara and Kankurō in tow. The pregnant woman was clearly irritated.
She flung through the fabric flags and marched right over to Sakura.
"Sakura," she snarled, plopping down in the empty stool next to the pink haired kunoichi, "Tell these two idiots that I'm pregnant, not a fucking bomb about to explode."
Sakura, mid slurp in her ramen, coughed. She picked up a napkin and covered her mouth. She looked at the irritated blonde and opened her mouth to say hello.
"Gaara had me surrounded by sand for most of the day," Temari snapped, "And Kankurō is acting like he just swallowed ten lizards. It's pissing me the fuck off!"
She glanced to Gaara and Kankurō. They seemed rather irritated and on guard. Gaara especially. She slowly nodded her head. It must have been difficult having the Kazekage and his bodyguard so protective of her. Plus, having Konoha's tactician for a husband probably wasn't easy.
She had heard that Shikamaru refused to let her out of the house without an escort. Sakura nodded. She'd have to take that pineapple head aside and talk to him.
"Ah, well," Sakura laughed, as Ino stared at Gaara openly. "Are you stressed by their...actions?"
"Hai," Temari said exasperatedly.
Sakura gave the pair a stern look. "While the protection is a nice gesture, if you're stressing Temari out, you really shouldn't. Stress isn't good for the baby." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe instead of making her feel so claustrophobic, you should give her a massage or treat her to something nice." Sakura placed a hand on Temari's slumped shoulder. "How about a nice bowl of ramen? You all can eat with us."
"Sounds great," Temari said, slamming her palm down on the counter, "Yo! Teuchi! Three bowls of ramen for the Kazekage, his bodyguard and one pissed off pregnant lady!"
Ino's gaze was still on Gaara. She narrowed her eyes. She recognized that look. She knew when someone was into her best friend. It was the same amused look Sasuke had whenever he met up with Sakura. Ino tensed. It was her duty as a best friend to be aware of these things. Despite the denial from both Sakura and Naruto she had received that Gaara hadn't confessed, she knew he was interested.
"Ah," Gaara said as he sat next to Temari.
"Whatever," Kankurō grumbled, following his siblings.
"So?" Temari asked, excited to finally have them off her back. "How's Sasuke? Still asking you to rebuild your clan?"
Sakura laughed uneasily. "Ah, well..."
"They kissed," Ino said excitedly.
"Ino!" Sakura scolded.
She didn't want everyone talking about it.
"What?" Ino asked with a shrug, her palms facing upward as she did so. "The whole town's gonna know about it soon enough."
"Ugh, Ino-pig," Sakura teased.
"Things are going well with the Uchiha then?" Temari asked with a grin. "Good. About damn time too." She looked to Kankurō and Gaara. "That idiot's been pursuing her for a few weeks now. It's about damn time he did something right."
"Heh, getting it on with the traitor," Kankurō chuckled. "Nice, Sakura."
"M-Mou, Kankurō..." Sakura sweat dropped.
It was then she noticed that Gaara had a far off look on his face. She frowned. Leaning behind Temari, she reached for his face. Gaara turned just in time to watch as the pink haired kunoichi put her hand to his head. She frowned.
"Just checking to see if you have a fever," Sakura said, letting her hand fall back to her side. She noticed the light pink tint to his cheeks. "Just be careful, okay?"
Gaara swallowed. "Ah."
Sakura laughed. "Worrying about Temari is great and all, but make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"
Th-Thump.
The Kazekage placed a hand over his heart. His eyes widened.
Oh.
Oh no.
"Oh my goodness," the receptionist giggled over her desk quietly to a nurse. "Uchiha Sasuke-sama is waiting for Haruno Sakura-sama...Who would have thought?"
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.
"Do you think they're engaged yet?" the nurse whispered back.
He folded his arms.
"He did ask her to rebuild his clan..."
Sasuke's eyes shot open. He glared at the two gossiping broads. They blushed and immediately went back to work.
Ch. Served them right...
Uchiha Sasuke had been waiting for Haruno Sakura in the lounge area for well over an hour. He had decided to come pick her up when she didn't come home at eleven. It wasn't like he was worried about her. He just didn't like the idea of going to sleep without her there. Sasuke had become accustomed to having her there and it would be an inconvenience if he didn't have his personal bed warmer at his side.
Sasuke heard a cough and scowled.
He wasn't mad that she was probably taking her sweet old time wrapping up one of her last operations. He knew she took her work very seriously as well she should. Without her aid, most of Konoha would probably die of disease and internal bleeding.
No, he was mad because he was stuck in the damn lounge area with a whole bunch of sick children and adults just hacking and sneezing everywhere. One child had been in the corner with a broken arm for the past half hour, screaming his head off at his mother to get a medic to heal him.
Sasuke glared. He was seriously rethinking having children at that moment. If he ever did manage to convince Sakura to bear his children, he sincerely hoped they would never be as rotten as that kid. He winced as the child's screaming reached new heights. Really though. Couldn't that woman get a grip on that child?
So finally, Sasuke decided to do something about it. He slowly stood and made his way over to the small child. The mother, who had seen him coming in the corner of her eye, blinked at him in surprise but backed away. She knew the chief of police when she saw him. He knelt down in front of the sniveling child and reached out to touch him.
The snot nosed kid gasped and looked into Uchiha Sasuke's eyes. A terrible, terrible mistake. The child was rendered unconscious immediately and Sasuke handed the now silent kid over to his mother.
"Here," he said, unceremoniously dropping the child into the mother's awaiting arms.
"Wh-What did you do?" the mother asked, looking at the kid nervously.
He didn't bother to answer her. But as he walked away, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. He had handled a child without killing it. Instead, he sent it into a deep genjutsu filled with candy and lollipops. It was something he figured a brat would like. Sasuke smirked. He could be a good parent.
"Fuck, Sasuke," Kakashi cursed, walking up from behind the Uchiha. "Don't ever have kids." He gave him a pointed look. "I mean it."
Sasuke scowled. "Ch." He glanced back at the white haired ninja. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I got lost on the path of life," Kakashi said thoughtfully as Sasuke sat back down in his seat, "And I somehow wound up here."
Sasuke stared at his former sensei. Kakashi sat next to him. "You came to hit on Shizune again, didn't you?"
Kakashi sweat dropped. "How'd you know?"
Sasuke bit back a growl of irritation. He wanted that damn sensei of his to just leave him alone. After their "talk" the previous day, Sasuke couldn't look at Kakashi the same way ever again.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked Sasuke. "Waiting for Sakura?"
"Hn."
Kakashi folded his arms and leaned back. "Apparently she spent the afternoon with Gaara, Ino, Temari, and Kankurō."
"Ah."
Sasuke took mental note. Sakura had met up with the Kazekage three days that week. He hadn't realized they were so close. His brow furrowed.
"Gaara...did not confess to Sakura," Sasuke started off. He shot a look at Kakashi. "So why am I uneasy?"
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Could just be jealousy." He slunk further in his seat. "Or you could be picking up on something." Kakashi scratched his chin. "My guess is you're picking up on something."
Sasuke frowned. He had hoped it was just jealousy. Jealous was petty. It was something he could talk to Sakura about and be done with it.
"You're not the type to have unreasonable emotions, Sasuke," Kakashi continued. "If you have a feeling, act on it."
"Ah."
Sasuke sighed impatiently and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was past midnight, he was tired and he was ready for Sakura to be finished. So, without a word, Sasuke stood up and started walking toward the double doors.
"A-Ano, Sasuke-sama," the receptionist stammered, "I can't let you go back there. Sakura-sama is in the middle of work and—"
Sasuke set his red eyes on her. She immediately stopped rambling.
"T-Try the nursery," she whispered.
He nodded at her, feeling Kakashi right behind him. They pushed through the double doors and made their way down the hallway. Sasuke pocketed his hands as he and Kakashi walked. They ignored onlookers and walked by a wide eyed Ino. They finally came to a halt in front of the maternity section and pushed through a doorway to enter the nursery hallway.
Sasuke stopped.
He tilted his head.
Sakura was behind the glass, holding some infant in her hands.
He tilted his head the other way.
She was staring at it with a look Sasuke had never seen before.
"Seems at least one of you will make a good parent," Kakashi muttered amusedly, watching as Sakura smiled gently down at the child in her arms.
Even through the wall, her words to the child were clear as crystal.
"Your mother gave us quite a scare today," Sakura whispered, dancing lightly with the child in her arms. "We nearly lost her." The child just stared up at her, blowing bubbles with his mouth. "But your mother, she loves you so much that she held on." Sakura sat down in the rocking chair, and swayed. "She held on because she wants to see you grow up."
Sasuke swallowed hard. This was too much. His teeth ground together.
"You'll be able to see your mom soon," Sakura hummed. "She's just sleeping right now because she is very tired."
The baby gurgled and Sakura laughed. She lifted her head up to relax her neck when saw Kakashi and Sasuke both staring at her. She blinked. A smile spread across her cheeks and she laid the child down in his crib. She made her way toward the glass and went for the side door.
"Kaka-sensei," Sakura said in surprise, "Sasuke...what are you doing here?"
"Ah, well, you see," Kakashi started, "I got lost on the path of life and..."
Sasuke wasn't looking at her. Sakura followed his dark gaze right into the infantry. He had a sad look in his eyes...it was almost longing. And then it hit her.
"Sasuke," she said, interrupting Kakashi's speech. "Come with me."
Before he could protest, she had his wrist in her fingers and she was tugging him into the infantry with her. Kakashi watched on, ready for the entertainment to begin.
"Sakura," Sasuke said as she shoved his hands under the facet and made him wash them. "What are you—"
She patted his fingers dry and led him over to the baby she had been holding. She beamed down at it.
"Sasuke, this is Akihiko," Sakura introduced him, picking him up gently. "Now hold out your hands."
"Sakura," Sasuke said, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Don't—stop—"
The next thing he knew she was placing the child in his arms. She let go.
"Just mind his head," Sakura said gently, rubbing the infant's forehead with her thumb.
Sasuke stared at the infant. The infant stared up at him. Sasuke tilted his head. The infant widened his eyes.
"..."
Sakura clasped her hands together cheerfully. "His mother is Hikari-san. We almost lost her during a C-section today, but..." She winked. "She's fine now. Just resting. I promised her I'd watch after the baby while she slept."
Sasuke didn't nod. He didn't acknowledge what Sakura had said. He just...kept looking into that baby's eyes.
"...Sasuke?" Sakura asked, looking at the Uchiha. "A-Are you okay? I can take Aikihiko back if you're not comfortable—"
"No," Sasuke said sharply, shifting his shoulder so he was blocking Sakura from reaching the baby. He saw the slight surprise in her eyes. He relaxed. "Ah, no. I'm fine."
Kakashi meanwhile, was looking at this scene with something akin to amazement. While Sasuke was the stereotypical overprotective father, Sakura was the not-so-stereotypical mother, nudging Sasuke's arms different directions to make sure the child was comfortable. Watching the two of them fuss over a child was just like looking into their future.
He smiled behind his mask.
It was just like looking into their very bright future.